Then please enlighten me. I could use a good laugh. How exactly is a fake punt not based on the element of surprise? By your logic, it would be a reasonable strategy to send the field goal team out there to pick up a 3rd and 6 against the base defense.... Maybe Nick Folk can throw a pass to the holder....

Tell ya what, instead of me giving you my opinion, how about we see what Mike Westhoff has to say about the matter. Would you agree that he's well regarded league wide as one of the best, and most knowledgeable ST coaches in the game ?

STS*: Fake Punts Are No Trickery, Just Execution
Posted by Randy Lange on October 20, 2012 – 12:14 pm

If the Jets execute a fake punt every other game, does it no longer qualify as a fake?

As special teams coordinator Mike Westhoff said this week in response: “I’d rather execute than trick. That’s me as a coach. I don’t think we really tricked anybody.”

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Oh, and as for running fakes against base defenses ???

From the same linked piece:

But then as Westhoff reminded reporters on Thursday, “I’d run more of ‘em than that if we could. We have them up all the time. Many times on fakes you catch someone totally unprepared. That really has not happened too much with us, especially after we’ve run them, because people now know and they’re going to gear up for it.

Ryan and Westhoff aren’t worried opposing teams will start game-planning for the fake punts. They try to use as many different and unique formations as they can to mask the fakes.

“We still think we can do it,” Westoff said.

Or, as Ryan said, if teams start going to their base defense, “You still have to stop it.”

Lastly, I'd point out that not only have our coaches said that we will indeed run fake punts against base defenses, WE'VE ALREADY DONE IT. The fake punt against the Texans was against their "base defense".

Tell ya what, instead of me giving you my opinion, how about we see what Mike Westhoff has to say about the matter. Would you agree that he's well regarded league wide as one of the best, and most knowledgeable ST coaches in the game ?

Lastly, I'd point out that not only have our coaches said that we will indeed run fake punts against base defenses, WE'VE ALREADY DONE IT. The fake punt against the Texans was against their "base defense".

You just KNOW that when you see a long post by Demos, he's going hard in the paint.

Ironically, we are getting better kicking and punting than we have in a long time.

Exactly, so there is some reason to feel confident in the unit overall when your kicker has been on and your punter keeps booming them.

I imagine we would feel far worse if we had a kicking situation like Packers do right now where Crosby is missing everything and they are standing by him. And that's a team with serious SB aspirations.

For Sparano, it would be because the design of the running game / blocking schemes completely sucks, he doesn't know **** about the WC apparently, he can't figure out how or when to use Tebow correctly, and some of his play calling just leaves you shaking your head and asking WTF ? Have to give him some props on designing and calling some nice chunk passing plays though.

For Rex (and Tanny), it would be a question of player evaluation, coach selection (Sparano and DeGugliamo), and wholesale lack of attention to the fundamentals of football.

On this last point, best example would be that if one guy misses a block or tackle, that's on him. If the entire team seemingly can't block or tackle, that's on the coaching staff.

With Westhoff, things get skewed by sample size since STs are involved in such a small percentage of plays.

LEARN. TO. ****ING. READ. If I'm on ST and I mess up my assignment and end up missing a block that gets the punt blocked or whatever scenario we're in, you couldn't just go "WOW! **** YOU, WESTHOFF! STUPID ****ING COACH! WHY DID YOU MAKE MCGINLEY MISS HIS ASSIGNMENT!? STUPID ASS! MCDAWG, YOU DA BESS! I'M SORRY YOUR COACH IS AN IDIOT AND MADE YOU SCREW UP!". You see how that works?

Not sure how you can arrive at this result other than affection for Tebow.

They were in their base defense. And the MLB you reference is one of the smartest and instinctive MLBs in the NFL. He was not going to get fooled there. We have run multiple fakes this year. STL was not going to get caught off guard.

There was no missed block b.c that play is not designed to run against a base defense.

What the heck, why not.....

Here's the alignment of the "base defense" at the snap of the ball. This is when you'd make the PSR, or pre-snap read.

Here would be the play scheme (based on watching it unfold).

As you can see, at the onset of the play, the MLB was about 3 yards to the left of the ball. He was between the hashmarks, slightly shaded to the right. Play was designed to go a couple yards to the right of the hashmark.

It's important to remember that this play flows to the right and that the defense reacts accordingly. That is, they flow to the right as well. Center has blue X over him. He's supposed to come out and block the MLB who is about 4 yards off the line, and 3 yards to the left of the ball. Demario Davis (56) is supposed to down block his man to the inside. Eric Smith (33) drifts out and down to the right, taking the OLB with him as he would be an eligible receiver coming out of the backfield. He then executes a seal block. The DE is circled with dashes. He is being Optioned on. If he comes down to cover Hilliard (36), then Tebow (15) keeps the ball and goes through the hole. If the DE comes to stop Tebow, then Tebow executes a shovel pass to Hilliard. This one is purely about position. IF the other blocks are made, there is no need to block the DE as he takes himself out of the play.

The reason this play didn't work is that the center didn't get a block on the MLB.

Here's Purdum trying to get to his block, but missing it. The red arrow on the right points to him, the red arrow on the left points to the MLB, who he was supposed to block:

Here's the MLB, Laurinaitis, the guy Purdum was supposed to block, standing in the middle of a BIG ASSED HOLE that Hilliard would have run through to get the first down.

Like I said, it doesn't matter that they were in their base defense. The play was perfect for the alignment the defense was in. Purdum just has to make that block.

DDNY, it's not dumb. Think about this. Offense comes to the line and some passing play is called. Sanchez sees that the D is in a 2 deep zone, and that on our strong side, they are aligned in a Wide 9 with the DE outside our TE. There's a big gaping hole there on the right. What should Sanchez do ? He should audible to a running play right through that gap.